Most people are aware, at least to some extent, that the agricultural industry is heavily reliant on chemical usage. The full extent of the issue, however, is likely much less understood: in a 2004 report to congress, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified agriculture as the leading cause of water quality impairment of rivers and streams, in addition to being the third leading cause of impairment for lakes, ponds and reservoirs.[1] It is therefore not hard to see why this is among the most important environmental issues the U.S., and the world as a whole, faces going forward.
| Rivers and Streams | Lakes, Ponds and Reservoirs | Estuaries |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | Atmospheric deposition | Atmospheric deposition |
| Hydromodification | Unknown/unspecified* | Unknown/unspecified* |
| Unknown/unspecified* | Agriculture | Municipal discharges |
On the frontlines of this environmental issue is the fashion industry, which uses cotton—one of the most chemically-reliant crops in the world[2]— to produce nearly half of its textiles.[3] In the U.S., 11 states account for nearly 94% percent of cotton acreage, as shown below.
| Total Acres Operated | Total Dedicated to Cotton | Percent Cotton |
|---|---|---|
| 130000000 | 4817000 | 3.7 |
Hover over a bar to update the table.
This nearly 8 million acres of dedicated land makes cotton one of the most important crops in the U.S. Unfortunately, though, the amount of pesticide used on cotton is as staggering as its acreage.
| Classification | Percentage of Planted Acres | Most Common Active Ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| Herbicides | 92 | Glyphosate potassium salt |
| Other | 76 | Ethephon |
| Insecticides | 40 | Acephate |
| Fungicides | 1 | Azoxystrobin |
As seen above, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, approximately 92% of all cotton acreage is regularly treated with herbicides and 40% with insecticides.[4] Unsurprisingly, this presents a number of health and environmental risks.
Glyphosate has been classified as a Category III toxin by the EPA, giving it a label of only "slightly toxic." However, it is important to note that the "EPA uses bird toxicity data as a surrogate for terrestrial-phase reptiles and amphibians and fish toxicity data as a surrogate for aquatic-phase amphibians."[5] This reliance on "surrogate data" has brought the validity of results into question. In a 2013 paper, researchers concluded that "[i]f and how glyphosate-based herbicides and other pesticides contribute to amphibian decline is not answerable yet due to missing data on how natural populations are affected."[6]
Acephate is also classified as a Category III toxin by the EPA.[7] However, The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) states that it is moderately toxic to birds, fish, amphibians and bees.[8]
We only covered two of t Some ways in which we can make a difference are as follows.